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After being bullied for his love of ballet, Britain’s Got Talent dancer Jack Higgins was desperate to leave his school and join Studio 76 Performing Arts College as a full-time student.

But the youngster from Childwall was just 12 at the time, and owner and principal Grace Adams-Short only took pupils aged 16 and over.

“He’d been coming to our academy at weekends and evenings for dance classes and was having such a really hard time at school he’d say to me ‘Grace, please, please, I want to come to college here’ and I had to tell him he wasn’t old enough.

“But he’s a lovely boy, and a very bright boy academically as well, so myself and my business partner sat down and discussed what we could do and we decided to start a lower school because of Jack. He was the only kid in the class, and it wasn’t cost effective for us to do it at all, but I believed in him.”

Jack was literally in a class of his own for the first year, taking Key Stage 3 academic lessons every morning before joining the older students for dance tuition in the afternoon and evening.

That was just over a year ago and since then the lower school has expanded, taking in more talented youngsters for an arts-based education.

“And so many of them are boys who have come to us with the same story as Jack,” says Grace. “I’ve got a school in Devon and I partnered with Tom Daley and he used to get bullied for being a phenomenal diver. I think whenever a boy does well and it’s not in something mainstream, kids can be horrible, whereas if it was football they’d be ecstatic.”

Grace says since he enrolled at the college on West Derby Road, he has worked non-stop from 9am every morning until 8.30pm every night.

“Both his parents have been nothing but supportive,” she adds. “His dad is a builder and he’s turned their garage into a dance studio and fitted all kinds of contraptions to help him rehearse.”

Britain's Got Talent contestant Jack rehearses at Studio 76

With their encouragement, and aware of his outstanding ability, Grace put Jack forward for Britain’s Got Talent when they arrived for auditions in Liverpool at the beginning of the year. Fellow students went along to support him in bright yellow T-shirts with ‘Go Jack’ on, and teachers put in extra hours with him so he could get the maximum amount of practice for his routine.

“We went to open auditions and he got through to the producers round and then they invited us back so he could dance in front of the judges which was all very nerve-racking for him.

“But he was great, he’s just so natural and at ease with it. He’s nervous beforehand but as soon as he starts he looks like a seasoned pro and you forget he’s just turned 14.”

They were all overwhelmed with the response, at the Empire at the audition and since the show was screened. “The support he’s had so far has been crazy, throughout the country but especially in Liverpool. They’ve really been behind him. Now we’re just waiting to hear if he’s got through to the semi finals so we’re on tenterhooks.”

Grace says her aim for Jack is to one day see him on the West End stage, but for now she says he’s just living a dream.

“I’m really happy for him because he deserves it, he’s beyond committed,” she smiles. “Even in the Easter holidays he was ringing me, asking me to open the studios for him!”